The present invention relates to technology for monitoring, characterizing, and recording information and traits regarding the use and reuse of containers. More specifically, the invention is directed toward a system and a label for monitoring the use of a labeled container.
The world trend in recent years is to be environmentally friendly and to preserve resources. Many countries, such as Germany, are very concerned about recycling products through refilling and reusing containers. This invention is directed toward such recycling efforts to reuse or refill containers rather than shredding containers to be reprocessed into new containers. Recycling is extremely important in the container and bottling industry where throwaway yet recyclable containers are becoming more popular and growing in number. To control this increasing concern, governments and businesses are considering regulating or monitoring the minimum number of cycles for each container and the capability of recycling, primarily refilling or reusing, a container. For such efforts to be successful, technology is needed to monitor recycling activities.
The present invention involves a system of using labels for monitoring the use of containers for numerous types of information and traits, including the number of cycles that the container is used or exposed to an energy pulse. The preferred embodiment of this invention uses techniques to insert-mold a label inside a container. Insert molding is significant to recycling because the washing and handling of containers during recycling is designed to remove labels and their adhesives. The preferred embodiment also uses regular ink and an indicating ink that changes gradation (either color or shade) when subjected to an energy source, which may be monitored or read by a spectrophotometer or other machine or electronic means.
Other methods of monitoring use information include permanently numbering each container or batch of containers and monitoring that numbering system. Also, on a small scale, containers may be cumulatively marked during each cycle, and the number of marks can be counted. Further, permanent information can be included on containers, such as the type of plastic, which is sometimes indicated by a numerical code on the bottom of a plastic container, for example xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d is formed in the bottom of a PETE container. Since billions of containers are used annually, these methods could be very cumbersome, ineffective, and costly on a large scale.
The prior art methods greatly reduce line speeds and add prohibitive expense to recycling efforts that monitor container use. Monitoring the cycle count or gathering information regarding the containers is presently a serious limitation for high speed recycling of containers.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a system, which has an automatically generated energy signal and which is machine-readable for high speed processing. It has therefore been found beneficial to produce a label that can be monitored at high line speed and that can be read with a spectrophotometer or other monitoring device.
It is a primary objective of the present invention to enhance the capability to recycle containers primarily through reuse or refilling. The system, container, and label for monitoring the use of a container include a label that is preferably inserted into the wall of the container. The label substrate preferably includes an indicating ink that incrementally changes gradation (either a color or shade change) when an external energy source is applied. The labeled container can be used in a system of monitoring, characterizing, and recording information and traits regarding containers. The information, such as counting cycles of container use, is preferably machine-readable, as well as human-readable.
The present invention overcomes certain problems with reduced line speeds while still having an embodiment that is human readable as well as machine-readable to determine the cycle count or other information.
In a preferred embodiment, the invention may include a label with incrementally changeable ink that is insert-molded between the wall surfaces of the container. Insert molding makes the label durable and able to withstand the processing to which containers are subjected. It is contemplated that other information can be included on the label.